He left on an early train
by Pozagee
Summary: Thor returns to Earth to inform the Avengers of 'recent developments' on Asgard. Warning for character death.


"Loki is dead."

Those three words tumbled out of the large man's mouth – it was as though they were some bitter and disgusting thing he was dying to be rid of; a burden he was unwilling to carry; a harsh reality he refused to believe.

The man slipped a large hand through his long hair. He looked ill, truly; his hair had dulled from it's normal iridescent glow, and his skin seemed to have paled. Not only that, but the ever-innocent bright blue eyes were a stormy grey, to match the weather outside.

Thor really had rehearsed what he was going to say to them; saying that HE was dead, straight-out seemed so incredibly...blunt. But how else was he to spell out a truth so simplistic to them? Death was factual and straightforward; there was no 'kind of's or 'sort of's about it. Dead was dead. Death deserved the right to be just as it was – no garnishments or elaborate phrasings necessary.

It hurt – however – to say this. There was no hiding behind twisted words and outright lies; no, Thor was playing this game (if one could call life a game) as he normally did. Manipulation and tricks...those tactics belonged to...HIM.

Still, Thor shifted his weight from right foot to left foot, and back again. He was uncomfortable, and oh-so very sad. There were other emotions as well, but he wasn't willing to feel anything other than the basics right now.

Annoyance bubbled up within him, however, when the other inhabitants of the room just stared at him, as though expecting some from of explanation.

Thor leveled their stares, swinging his gaze around at the misfits he had come to call...allies, yes, and perhaps even friends on occasion.

Stark rubbed his scruffy beard as he let his chin rest on his hand. He had set down his ever-present tablet when Thor had entered. The God wasn't one for verbal-sparring or matching wits, but he was a fun conversationalist and a great bar buddy – at least to Tony. Fury had gathered the Avengers there – for some reason or another – so he had been standing at the front of the room, thick arms crossed and face stern. Agent Hill had been standing by the door, most likely to beat up anyone whom got too close to her or the recovering Agent next to her. Coulson had been sitting in his – surprisingly bad-ass looking – wheelchair, a small content smile resting upon his lips. Steve Rogers had been partly paying attention to what Fury was saying, while also fussing over Coulson. Clint and Natasha had been sitting stoically, though they would jerk a bit every once in a while, as though unknown things were happening under the table. Bruce – whom had been reading a book – had been the first one to notice Thor, funny enough. The quiet man had smiled at Thor, which caused everyone else to turn and wave at their friend.

Tony cast his normal smile at Thor, from his relaxed postion, before opening his mouth to speak. He never got the chance, as Thor whispered – in a voice which seemed to echo loudly, somehow – that the first enemy that they had fought against together had died.

Everyone stared at Thor as he shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting everywhere; they seemed incredibly shiny.

The whole room seemed to be stuck in some sort of uncomfortable silence; how were they supposed to resond to something like this?

Clint was first to say something. "Good riddance."

Thor growled threateningly, as the thunder outside rumbled ominously. "Do not speak of my brother in such ways!"

Steve stood, placing a gentle and callused hand on Thor's tense shoulder. "Calm down, buddy. He didn't mean anything by it. Loki gave us all a tough time."

"Understatement of the century, Cap," Tony murmured unhelpfully, though Steve's words seemed to have calmed the Thunder God down. At least a bit.

He sighed, dropping heavily into one of the chairs of the conference room, face gloomy.

"He wasn't supposed to die." Thor looked up at the man who had made the realization.

"Son of Coul," Thor nodded to the man his brother had 'killed'. "No...his punishment was not to be death."

Natasha's eyes narrowed. "Then...his punishment caused him to die."

"Aye," Thor admitted reluctantly.

"So...torture then." That had been Stark. The sentence had been said nonchalantly, but there was a darkness swirling in the man's eyes that had unknown origins to the Asgardian.

Speaking of Thor, the large man had bowed his head, normally tan face morphed into a grey mask of pain. Torture...it was just such an ugly, foul word...something – definitely – that didn't seem to fit with "The Realm Eternal".

But there was no other way to describe what Loki had been through.

"Buddy? You alright?" a calm and soothing voice questioned. Thor looked up at Doctor Banner.

"No. He was my brother in every way but blood, and yet...and yet I threw him to the wolves."

"Hypothetically, I'm hoping," Fury muttered. Fury had seen and done many things that were...less than legal...but torture just struck a very wrong chord with him. It was not a pleasent experience – being the torturer or the torturee, it was painful.

Shield was known for it's good intentions but undesirable means of obtaining intel, weapons, you name it.

But never did they resort to something that sat on the tongue so sourly as...torture...

"What'd they do?" Barton asked, causing Natasha to elbow him, teeth gritted. The others casted him rather irritated glances. "What? He turned me into his own personal slave. I want to know how he suffered."

Thor looked up, silvery tears swimming in his rage-filled eyes. "Is knowing he suffered greatly not enough?!"

Bruce swallowed, at feeling the tension rise. Steve noticed, and quickly tried to regain peace. "Everyone, calm down. Loki did do horrible things, but he suffered too. No need to-"

He was ignored. "No. I want to know. Do you have any idea how many sleepless nights I have had, thinking about everything he made me do? The lives I ended? I want to know he suffered as much as I did – do!"

Thor's eyes suddenly seemed to loose their life, as he sunk into a chair.

"He was ill, when he was on Midgard. An illness of the mind... The Chitauri are a poison like none other – truly – especially their leader...but when we returned to Asgard, father would hear nothing of it; he sent Loki to the dungeons for his punishment."

"Which was...?" Clint prompted. The others were listening intently as well, but they seemed at least a little ashamed to be eager to hear the fate their enemy suffered.

"His lips were sewn shut, and he was beaten daily by some of Asgard's strongest warriors. Sometimes they'd do other...things...of which I'd rather not recall..." Thor buried his head in his hands, his breathing becoming heavy and painful. "He...he was my baby brother! We grew up together, we protected each other! I loved him, and I just...let...him...be...taken..."

Everyone stared at Thor as the man broke down, looking guilty.

They were all thinking similar thoughts: 'Why am I feeling guilty? I didn't cause Loki to be killed! I didn't even know what he was being sent to...'

But that wasn't the reason for their guilt. No, the fact was: Thor was their friend. Whether or not Loki was their enemy, they were still brothers, and they should be letting Thor cry on their shoulders...not force him to tell how his brother was killed.

Coulson wheeled himself over, placing a hesitant hand on Thor's back. "We know you loved – love – him Thor. If you would have known what he was going to suffer I'm sure you would have stopped it-"

"But I did know! That is why it is so horrible. I could have saved him, but I let him be punished. I thought it would drive the poison from his mind. It didn't. It just killed him." Thor stood, rubbing his face. "I'm sorry for my hasty retreat, but I must return to Asgard." He turned to leave.

"Thor."

Thor paused turning to look at the room, eyes landing on Bruce.

"Thor," Bruce sighed again. "We're your friends. We...didn't like Loki, but we will stand by you. Alright?" Thor looked at the room's other occupants, whom all nodded solemnly.

Thor smiled a rather teary smile. "I thank you, my friends. I will visit soon."

He left to go say goodbye to his brother.

O_.~•*'*•~._.~•*'*•~._.~•*'*•~._O

A/N WHYYYYYY?! WHY DID I WRITE THIS?! My first fanfic in the Avengers fandom, and I kill off Loki! He's my favorite character too! My stupid stupid mind! Mein Gott! TnT

Anyway, I am sorry for this.

Thanks for reading, and please review!


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